The Birth Control Series IV: The Implant, The Patch, and The NuvaRing

Welcome back to the Birth Control Series! In our last few posts we’ve discussed the pill; today we’re moving on to other hormonal methods. Click here to access Birth Control Unlocked, your guide to all relevant (to me) birth control information.

The implant, the patch, and the NuvaRing are all hormonal birth control methods. One is a thin rod implanted into the arm by a medical professional, another is a patch attached to the skin, and the final is a flexible plastic ring inserted into the vagina. Each of them gets hormones into bloodstream. The only real difference between these methods and birth control pills is the method of ingestion. They are marketed as hassle-free birth control methods, and that’s true, more or less. They require less mindfulness than birth control pills do. Whether or not that’s something you desire is completely up to you.

Each of the methods varies slightly by use by and by hormonal content. There are also some specific health concerns related to each method, so they are worth noting.

The Implant

The implant, under the two brand names Implanon and Nexplanon, is a small rod inserted under a woman’s arm.
The implant is made of medical plastic that is sterile and soft. This contraceptive rod is 40mm (1.5 inches) long and 2mm (0.08 inches) in diameter. The implant, once inserted, is effective for a maximum of three years. The implant is the only of these three methods to be a progesterone-only method.

Once the birth control implant is inserted, it begins releasing small doses of the synthetic progesterone etonogestrel. Implanon contains 68 milligrams of etonogestrel, and it is released slowly and steadily over the course of the three year period.

Since the implant is a continual dosage of a progestin, the implant does not include a regular cycle the way most other birth control methods do. For the majority of women on the implant, their periods become light but unpredictable. For 30 percent of women, menstruation stops completely within one year of use. For this reason, the implant might be a convenient and relatively risk free option. I call it “relatively” risk free because it is estrogen-free. It is usually estrogen-based pills–such as the methods below–that have the potential for scary side effects such as thrombosis and heart attacks.

The patch

The patch in the form of Ortho Evra was first released in 2002. Because of it’s supreme convenience and relatively low cost, it became a best-seller in two short years, selling nearly 400 million dollars worth.

However, Ortho Evra is a progesterone-estrogen combination pill, and it turns out that the patch generated much higher levels of estrogen in the blood of users than pharmaceutical companies had anticipated. This results in a greater risk of blood clots– and shortly thereafter lawsuits began piling up. In 2005, Ortho Evra, under an agreement with the FDA, added a black-box warning to its packages stating that patch users are exposed to roughly 60 percent more estrogen than the typical pill user, resulting in a potential “approximate doubling of risk of serious blood clots.”

That risk remains fairly low, and there are warning signs that can be heeded in order to save women at risk:

a new lump in the breast

a sudden very bad headache

achy soreness in the leg

aura — seeing bright, flashing zigzag lines, usually before a very bad headache

bad pain in the abdomen or chest

headaches that are different, worse, or happen more often than usual

no period after having a period every month

trouble breathing

yellowing of the skin or eyes

It is also of course known that women with health problems, even ones as common as diabetes or pre-diabetes, should step cautiously around high doses of estrogen. Risks are low, but the costs are high.

Using the patch

The patch is another birth control method that works in cycles. The pattern is three weeks on, with one patch applied each week, and then one week off. The “off” week is when menstruation occurs.

The patch is applied to a woman’s upper outer arm, buttocks, abdomen or thigh on either the first day of her menstrual cycle or on the first Sunday following that day, or for an amenorrheic woman on any random day, whichever is most appropriate for this woman. The day of application is known by the companies from that point on as patch change day. Seven days later, when patch change day comes again, the woman removes the patch and applies another to one of the approved locations on the body. This process is repeated again two more times. And then one whole 7 day period is taken off for menstruation, starting the whole cycle again on the following patch change day.

Continual use of the patch has been studied, but is not recommended considering the relatively higher estrogen dose of the patch.

All that being said– while higher estrogen levels are associated with risk of cardiovascular problems, women who suffer from low estrogen levels may benefit greatly from estrogen input. The appropriate amount of estrogen varies by the individual, so it is worth discussing these issues with your doctor if you are interested in how much estrogen you should be (daring to) take.

The NuvaRing

The NuvaRing is a flexible, plastic ring inserted into the vagina each month. It is inserted by the individual at the start of the menstrual cycle and left for three weeks, and then removed for one week while a withdrawal bleed occurs. A new ring is then inserted for the following month.

Back-to-back use of the NuvaRing–that is, without a withdrawal bleed–have been studied. They do not seem to be alarming, though have not been officially approved by any government agencies. This is presumably because the estrogen levels from the NuvaRing are low enough to tolerate consistent dosages.

The NuvaRing emerged on the market after the birth control patch, and was instantly popular because it offered an easy contraception method without as much risk of blood clots as the patch. People still leapt up in arms over the NuvaRing, claiming that it had increased side effects, but several statistical analyses have shown that it carries the same risk as other birth control options.

The NuvaRing is also a combination pill, and delivers 120 µg of etonogestrel, a synthetic progesterone, and 15 µg of ethinyl estradiol, a synthetic estrogen, each day of use.

This is less estrogen than both the patch and other combination pills, which makes the NuvaRing desirable with women who have predispositions to estrogen dominance or who have a history of problems with breast tenderness, PMS, nausea, or cramping. The NuvaRing also has a lower incidence of breakthrough bleeding, despite how low it’s estrogen dosage is.

Many women believe that the NuvaRing is a more gentle form of birth control than others–that it won’t cause hormonal disturbances–because it sits in the vagina, and therefore acts locally, rather than universally in the body. This supposedly mitigates the side effects. But I have yet to be able to find any evidence that this is the case. So far as I can tell, the reason the NuvaRing may have fewer side effects than other methods is simply because it releases a lower dosage of hormones.

All that being said, some researchers argue that third- and fourth-generation contraceptives — including those that contain desogestrel like the NuvaRing — raise the risk of blood clots without adding any benefit. Third and fourth generation contraceptives contain synthetic estrogens, which may or may not be more problematic than original formulations and bio-identical forms. No significant statistical evidence, so far as I can tell, exists to support these claims.

—————————-

So those are alternative methods of taking hormonal birth control! The implant contains progesterone only, and reduces menstruation, the patch contains higher levels of estrogen, and the NuvaRing is a late-generation combination pill with as low a dose of hormones in it as possible. The side effects and risks of each of these methods is approximately the same as oral birth control pills — except perhaps in the case of the patch, and also in the case of late-generation estrogen consumption.

Coming up are IUDs, sponges and condoms, and fertility awareness! And menopause!

The PfW donation drive marches on! Our community needs support to keep running, and this website thrives off of your support and love. Whatever you might want to donate– 1, 2, 3, 6,000,000 dollars–would be a huge help to all of us.

Thank you so much for your love.

Choose an amount and follow the button through to paypal below to support us.

Related Article

Low-carbohydrate diets are super popular right now, especially among paleo dieters. This isn’t without reason. Low-carbohydrate diets can be therapeutic. They often help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar

14 Comments

Stephanie

( September 19, 2012 )

I had the WORST emotional side effects when I tried the ring. My friend raved about it and said it was so easy and lower hormones so she had less side effects. It made me cry and be miserable every day. It took me awhile to figure out that it was due to the ring and not just me (i was in grad school so my misery level was already pretty high). I hadn’t really had too bad side effects with other HBC’s in the past, but maybe my hormones were different then because I was older. In any case, that’s the last time I tried HBC’s.

My friend and I always joked that you go on hormonal birth control to have unprotected sex without getting pregnant, but really they make you so miserable or lower you libido so much that you don’t want to have sex after taking them. Catch 22!

Katie

( September 25, 2012 )

HopGoddess

( September 19, 2012 )

I went on hormonal birth control (Levora pill) for the first time in 3 years when I was 26. With no other risk factors, within 30 days of starting the pill, I developed a Pulmonary Embolism. I was lucky and got to the hospital a few hours before the seven blood clots in my lung had the chance to kill me. The doctors decided that the blood clots were due to my birth control.

Four days in the hospital, six months of weekly blood draws and serious blood thinners. A lifetime of taking a 350 mg Aspirin a night. If I ever develop another blood clot, I will be on warfarin for the rest of my life and have to worry that a little bump on the head could kill me.

In June, I got a copper IUD (my only semi-permanent birth control option). Extremely heavy periods, cramps all month long, but at least it’s something until my partner gets health insurance and can get snipped.

Hormonal birth control is convenient, but I wonder how worth it it is?

Sarah

( September 19, 2012 )

I did the pill for 13 years, the ring for 6 months. The pill killed my libido and the ring gave me a yeast infection. It took me 6 months to figure I had a yeast infection because I thought a yeast infection was always the stereotypical kind, but mine was just constant burning. I described it as ‘acid vagina’ to my boyfriend (hey, the ring killed my libido and I figured this description would kill his too so he’d quit bugging me for sex.)

Needless to say, I have now found FAM and have been hormone free for 3 years and no pregnancy!

CarbSanity

( September 19, 2012 )

Greetings. Seems Melissa raised a good question re. ‘expenses’ – just wondering why you declined to address her concerns. I find this especially troubling in light of your refusal to disavow Richard Nikoley – and because women are already silenced enough in the paleosphere.

Misty

( September 21, 2012 )

( September 25, 2012 )

Most birth control methods freak me out, especially when I hear stories like what HopGoddess shared above. I feel like my husband and I are the only couple who use condoms long term (2+years now). Granted, we take a break from them during my period when and if it’s really light. But to me and my husband, the hassle of condoms is much less and offers more peace of mind than prescriptive birth control methods (and their unpredictability, potential danger, and maintenance).

@HopGoddess — you’d rather have the copper IUD and the symptoms it gives you than dealing with condoms?

I’ll be really curious to hear more about the FAM method and how successful it is.

Stefani Ruper

( September 27, 2012 )

I didn’t say that? (I can’t see the post from the ‘comment respond’ panel.) I can’t believe it would have slipped my mind. Yes, doctors advise that women induce menstruation every few months in order to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer — some women who don’t menstruate still build up a thick endometrial lining, though others do not — so there is a small increased risk there, but not much. Going longer won’t kill you, definitely, though the risk does tick up gradually over time.

( September 28, 2012 )

Grace

( October 8, 2012 )

The implanon implant has a whole host of nasty potential side effects too, from what my doctor told me 40-60% of the ones she places, she’s later asked to remove.

I decided to give it a go regardless, mostly due to worries about forgetting a pill, and got the thing taken out after three weeks. Constant period, constantly tired, (probably from the constant blood/iron loss), almost total lack of interest in sex, and depression the likes of which I’ve never experienced. I’m normally about the most mentally collected person around, but with implanon I had trouble making it through a day without crying for most of it, it was like the world had gone grey and dull.

Within a few days of getting it out I started to feel better, and was more or less normal by the end of a week. I switched to a pill after that, and things stayed fine.

The most scary thing was how the mood effects snuck up on me, though. It felt so natural, normally I notice hormonal weirdness, but not with the implant it seems.

I’ve heard of friends who found the implant worked okay, but for me I couldn’t even stick out the month, let alone the three month test period the doctors recommend.

About Paleo For Women

Paleo for Women is a movement. It calls women to own and to love themselves as natural, evolved beings. It promotes health, it promotes love, and it helps you recognize the power, beauty, and unapologetic radiance of your own natural womanhood, the good, sexy, powerful stuff already in your bones.